Family Values Award – Meagan Pildner

When Positive Athlete was created six years ago, President of Celebrate Positive, LLC, Scott Pederson, and a group of high-profiled athletes shared a unique goal – to shine a light and honor young, positive athletes that gave back – despite their circumstances through scholarships and recognition. Positive Athlete believes that shaping the life skills of young athletes is crucial to shaping their futures. This includes giving back to their communities and other skills that go beyond athletic competition. Any high school athlete will be invited to join based on a nomination by a coach, parent, fan, or school administrator.

After Positive Athlete formed in Pittsburgh about six years ago – Pittsburgh Steelers legend, Hines Ward, became their spokesman. However, after their message kept growing, they started operating in Georgia. When this happened, Ward became the spokesperson for Georgia as well; after all – Hines Ward was a Georgia Bulldog before he was a Pittsburgh Steeler. As Hines stated, “We’re not putting out a search for the best athletes in Georgia. We’re searching for kids with positive attitudes whose efforts don’t necessarily show up on the stat sheets.” Growing up in South Atlanta, Ward knows just how important it is to maintain an optimistic attitude, despite circumstances. As a child of African American and Korean descent, he was constantly faced with racial slander. However, these hurdles wouldn’t break Ward’s spirit, as he went on to be a successful player for the Georgia Bulldogs and Pittsburgh Steelers.

This year, Aylo Health has teamed up with Positive Athlete and Hines Ward to create the Aylo Health Family Values Award. Creating this initiative was a great fit for Aylo Health, as it gave us the opportunity to give back to the community and support the next generation of leaders who reflect our family values. The award honors one special athlete from our surrounding counties of Henry, Rockdale, Butts, and Clayton and we’re proud to announce the first-ever recipient – Meagan Pildner.

Meagan – top 10 percent, Magna Cum Laude, and graduate of Locust Grove High School, is a remarkable athlete, but her character makes her an even better person. Meagan was part of the 2017 State Champion Softball Team, an All-Region Player 1^st Team, and 1^st Team All-State Player and will be attending West Alabama to play collegiate softball in the fall of 2018. She accomplished her goal by earning 16 letters and participated in 4 Varsity Sports; Softball, Basketball Cheer, Tennis, and Gymnastics. However, aside from her athletic achievements, Meagan was also a member of the Relay for Life team, Beta Club, and National Honor’s Society. She maintained a 4.0 GPA and had perfect attendance for her entire school career (K-12).

On top of all of this, she also loves to serve and sets an example by her leadership. Twice a week, she planed for and led the lesson for an adaptive physical education class, as well as teaching her peers tactics to modify and engage with those adaptive students. Meagan also does research, finding positive ways that she can reach those who maybe a little less fortunate. Talk about a heard of gold!

With Positive Athlete’s vision – to shine a light and honor young, positive athletes that gave back…we believe this couldn’t fit Meagan Pildner’s mentality any better. With her constant efforts in praising others and making them feel good about themselves, to giving those around her a smile and asking about their day – Meagan truly has the heart to share with others, and we – Aylo Health – are proud to be a part in honoring her.